When your 16 Your Chosen For The 78th Hunger Games
by XxI'mThePineappleWriterGirlxX
Summary: "Primrose Everdeen!" No, not her, not Prim! I wanted to run forward and cradle my little duck in my arms and say "I volunteer!" But I couldn't. And I knew no one else would.
1. Katniss: Trading Niche

_**Katniss: Trading Niche **_

**Author: **

**Story: Can't you just read the title _before _you click on it?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games, just this story. (Eye roll)**

**Current Time: Prim didn't get chosen when she was twelve. So, Katniss is 20 and Prim is 16 **

**Summary: "Primrose Everdeen!" No, not her, not Prim! I wanted to run forward and cradle my little duck in my arms and say "I volunteer!" But I couldn't. And I knew no one else would.**

**Note: You should all know that the reaping isn't going to be for a few chapters, and, this is probably going to come back and bite me in the butt, but I'm going to try and make each chapter from a different POV, I'm betting on just doing Prim's POV by chapter 10.**

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I adjusted my bag on my shoulders as I walked away from the barbed wire fence that separates District 12 from the forest. The bag was heavier than usual, it was a good day of hunting, probably because of the aspiring season of summer. When I was in the forest and I was at the strawberry patches, I could almost taste summer in the year, it has always been my favorite season for two reasons.

The first reason is it means Prim and I get to replenish themselves after the brutal seasons of winter and fall, the worst seasons for me because it means hunting for endless hours and maybe snagging a few loose squirrels that had wandered too far from home trying to find a single acorn in the midst of the forest.

The second reason is it means Prim survived another reaping. I used to worry about myself, but, that ended 2 years ago. Prim only has 2 more years left, and in each year, the danger of getting chosen gets increasingly higher, for each year her name goes in there one more time.

Though, I need to say, hunting has been easier since mother commited suicide. Prim was devastated, crying for weeks on end, not going to school, and worst of all, forgetting to feed Buttercup. Normally, I'd be happy if that "cat-rag" starved to death, but, at my hands, not Prim's.

Mother killed herself a few years back, a short while after Prim's 13th birthday. My mother has always been in a worsening depression with each passing hour after my father had been killed in a mining accident when I was just 11. There had been a time when she was so bad she could no longer do daily required things like cook and clean and all the other things I couldn't do when I was hunting. It wasn't fair, letting a daughter care for mother.

My mother was a herbilist, so she knew every herb A-Z, life saving, and _posinous. _Prim and I had just gotten home from school, I sensed something was wrong. I ran upstairs to find my mother collasped on her bed, in one hand was a piece of paper, in the other were the most terrifying things in the world to hunters,

_Nightlock berries._

Nightlock can kill you before it even reaches past your tounge, that's how bad the posion. I remember the note, Prim has it on her bed to this very day, it said,

_Dear Katniss and Prim,_

_I'm so sorry to be doing this to you girls, my girls. I know you already lost your father and it is going to be a long, hard, road for you two, but your strong. You will make it through this. I just couldn't bear being out with your father any longer. By the time you will be reading this, I will be with him, **happy.**_

Happy. I couldn't believe she used happy of all words. It made the rest of the note pointless. She did this out of her own needs, not mine, not even Prim's. She was a sick women, mentally and physically.

* * *

I strode out of the Hob, exceedingly happy. I had traded two fish I had speared for a large amount of salt and oil at Greasy Sae's. Then, I sold a quart of blueberries for some buttons and fabric to make clothing for Prim and me, if we don't look presentable, they'll take Prim away from me, I can't stand being away from her. Prim was even terrified when I thought about getting a job in the mines, so, to appease her, we made up a story about taking up our mother's business.

Prim is usually the only one who really does the entire _healing _thing, I usually only help when somebody comes with a fever, anything more severe than that, I'd split for the woods.

Next, I'd be going to the Mellark's to trade my two squirrels. Luckily, the witch currently has a fever, so now I don't have to sneak around the back to trade with the Baker, but, the Baker is also sick, so, I'm going to be stuck with one of his three sons to trade with, either Rolo, Berret, or Peeta, the youngest. Peeta was my year, I only remember that because I could vaugly remember his name being called after me, and the fact he saved Prim's, mother's, and my life when we were 11, but, you already know that story.

I walk as quietly as possible down the rubble road, trying to keep all attention kept elsewhere, but, it's usless, even with my quietst hunting tread, the rocks still creak beneath my feet.

When I get to the baker's I notice the paint is chipping off the walls, strange, the walls are always regularly painted by the Baker- right, the baker is sick. I climb up the stairs (which are also decaying) to the open door, when I enter, I am furiously hit with the scents of fresh bread.

I strode loudly to the counter, alerting the boy sitting there, Peeta, of my presence. Without looking up from the piece of paper he was writing on he automatically said,

"Welcome to Mellark's Bakery, how can I help-" he looked up and stopped aubrutly, me still wondering how many times he's said that sentance today.

"Are you here for bread or for trade?" he asks, _what a stupid question, _I think, I've traded with him three times this week and he asks that question? _Pitiful. _

"Trade. I have two squirrels." Peeta nods and goes to the back of the bakery door with a paper bag, I wonder why he doesn't just give me the two loaves sitting on display by the counter, butthen I figured there are probably fresher ones in the back.

When he came back he handed me the paper bag, and I handed him the squirrels, the bag felt heavier than usual so I took a peep inside, sure enough, there were two extra loaves,

"Your father usually only gives me one loaf a squirrel." I pointed out, figuring he made a mistake, but, suprisingly, Peeta shook his head,

"I think risking your life in the woods _and streets _each day is worth a little extra." he said in a voice all but comical.

I walked away. Saying nothing more. _Does he still think I'm some little starving girl that needs his help? _No, no, Peeta, you're so wrong, so wrong.

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**Me: So, how'd you like it? I'm probably going to do the reaping after I do a quick preview of how each charactor is doing. R&R if you liked it _or _hated it, whatever! =^.^=**


	2. Peeta: What was I Thinking?

**Hi Everyone!**

**Here's The First Peeta POV:**

_**What Was I Thinking?**_

**Special Thanks to creativename0 for being the first person to review this story!**

**Also, thanks Ghostwriter626 for reviewing as well! I liked your review: awww!**

**Well, I think we should start now!**

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I sat on the small, dirty, wooden stool behind the the old wooden counter at the bakery, and when I say _old _I mean _old. _My family has owned this bakery since my Great-Grandpa lived here.

And never, ever, since he owned it, did _anyone _give someone charity.

Until there was me. Here's the best part: I did it _twice. _Twice! And, it was to the same person! I grew angry at myself and I took the pencil resting on top of the bill I was filling out and clutched it tightly in my grip, it only lasted about 3 seconds until it gave a ideal crunching noise in my hand and I let it fall from my clutches, in about 6 pieces.

Well, maybe I won't get in trouble because it was for the girl I loved. Yes, it's true. I'm in love with Katniss Everdeen, a girl from the poorest part part of District 12, the seam. But, I can't help being in love with her. I've loved her since she was 5.

I remember the day perfectly.

I had been walking to school on the first day of kindergarden. My dad stopped me and pointed Katniss out, her hair was in two braids instead of one then. I remember him saying "You see that girl? I wanted to marry her mother but she ran off with some coal miner from the seam." back then, I didn't see the differnce between Seam kids and Merchant kids, so I ignored that last part. Later that day, the music teacher asked anyone if they knew the meadow song, and her hand shot straight up, she stood up in front of the class, and began singing.

I swear the birds went silent.

Ever since then I've been in love with the girl from the Seam. When I was 11, I did my first charity. She was leaning on a old tree in the middle of the freezing rain, I noticed this from inside, and purposly burnt some bread. It costed me a hard whacking, but I was able to throw her the bread when my mother thought I was feeding the pigs. It was one of my major regrets, I should have just went up to her and handed her the bread, then, I might have gotten somewhere more than trading bread and squirrels while my father is sick.

That leads me to what I just did.

I shouldn't have given her those extra loaves, there was no mistaking the annoyance in her, beautiful, gray eyes. I guess charity isn't always appreciated. I just figured she might say thanks and then we'd be getting somewhere after that. Boy was I wrong. She's a Seam girl, after all these years I finally found out what being the Seam meant. One part of being from the Seam means they hate owing people, and boy, she really must think she owes me.

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**Sorry this chapter is so short and horrible...**

**But...but...but... Race To Witch Mountain is on and Cato from the Hunger Games is in it, while he's younger!**

**SO I NEED TO WATCH IT!**

**Bye!**

**Wait!**

**Don't Go!**

**Read and Review First...**

**You know you want to! **

**Just click the button directly below this line!**


	3. Prim: Life Goes On, For A While, Anyway

**I'm Back! **

**Thanks to inspiration by another writer, I began writing _The Warriors Games, _a Hunger Games/ Warriors crossover**

**Look it up after you read this!**

**Okay! Here is my first Prim POV:**

_**Life Goes On, For a While, Anyway**_

**(I titled it in a rush, okay?)**

* * *

_"Deep in the meadow, under the willow  
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow  
Lay down your head, __and close your sleepy eyes  
And when again they open, the sun will rise." _

I hummed quietly the song I was sung since I was 12 during my first reaping, grudgingly walking to the reaping. When I passed the small, beat down flower shop, I cringed.

It reminded me to much of The Hunger Games.

When people cut the flowers, it's like your badly wounding a tribute.

When you put them in the water, it's like putting a bandage on the wound, pretending it's going to be okay.

The Hunger Games take something beautiful and destroy them. T

hat's that.

* * *

I looked around for Katniss when the women pricked my finger. I hardly flinched when it broke my skin, I learned when I was 14 that, if you ignore it, it hurts less. A practice I perfected last year. Now, I don't even get worried about the Hunger Games. It took me until Katniss was no longer eligable to realize that I'm only in there 5 times, while people like Katniss had there name in over 30. Even more, for people like her hunting partner, Gale.

I still was looking for Katniss when the Reaping started, with still no luck, I realized she must be stuck in the overflow section on Main Street, _out hunting too long, _I guessed.

"Well! I believe it's time to get started!" the Capitol Escort, Effie Trinket, trilled in her disorted Capital accent. If the circumstances were different, I would have laughed at her. Her skin was painted a almost white shade of green, complimented -if you can even say that- by outstanding shades of aqua, yellow, blue, and green. And her outfit... well, words can not describe her outfit.

"As always, ladies first!" I felt the girls around me stiffen, and I couldn't help but do it too, not for me, but for all the other Seam girls I grew up with, names in so many times... I held my breath for them.

Maybe I should of held it for me too.


	4. Katniss:Not All My Little Ducks In A Row

**Well, Here Is Chapter Four! **

**After This, I'm Going To Do A Few Chapters About Some Other Reapings.**

**Well, Here's the Second Katniss Chapter:**

_**Not All My Little Ducks In A Row.**_

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"Primrose Everdeen!"

No, not her, not Prim! I wanted to run forward and cradle my little duck in my arms and say "I volunteer!" But I couldn't. And I knew no one else would. Was this really all I could do? Stand here and watch, no, no! I want to run away, find Gale, and disapper in the woods. But Prim didn't see me before, and I'm sure she'd need me more now than ever.

I watch as she climbs the steps to the stage, her long aqua gown's end dyed brown with mud.

"Now, for the boys." Effie squealed, and I forced myself to watch her dip her hand in the boy's orb,

"Caller Gardket." Another boy, Prim's year walked up. He wasn't skinny like most of us in the Seam. But his dark brown hair, gray eyes, and tan skin gave it away. He was well muscled and overall looked better suited for the games than Prim, but at least Prim knows herbs and basic survival skills, yes, that's right, the pair are like equals, but in different ways.

I know in my heart Prim cannot win, but she sure as heck won't go unnoticed.

* * *

"Prim..." I hold her tightly in my arms, one minute, that's all I've gotten, they need to give her time for all the people lining up outside who are ever so fond of my little duck, but this minute is mine. All mine. I push her away,

"Listen Prim. Don't go unnoticed. Don't fade into dust. I'll see you soon, victor Primrose Everdeen." I whisper quietly, and kiss her softly on her forehead, a lone tear trickled down her face, I wiped it away, staring into her beautiful blue eyes, playing with a strand of blonde hair,

"It's time to go." I follow the peacekeeper out, a great lump in my throat.

Mom?

Are you listening?

I still hate you.

But please take care of the one daughter you loved.

Please.


End file.
